ALBAWABA - President Vladimir Putin of Russia personally received those who had returned to Russia after being part of a swap operation that was coordinated in Ankara by Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT). The venue for the event was Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.
Putin arrived at the airport and waited for the people to get off the aircraft. After shaking hands with each returnee, he escorted them into the terminal where he delivered a speech on a red carpet. Putin thanked them for their allegiance to Russia during his speech and said that they will receive official recognition.
26 people who had been imprisoned in seven different countries—the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus—participated in the exchange operation, which was aided by MIT. This is regarded as one of the largest procedures performed in a long time.
Key figures accompanying Putin were Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, and Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Aleksandr Bortnikov. At the gathering was also the Russian Guard Regiment.
This successful exchange operation is an important diplomatic win for MIT and demonstrates the collaboration of several foreign agencies.
